Marco Bezzecchi
Fermin Aldeguer is seen as one of the top contenders to replace Francesco Bagnaia if the two-time MotoGP champion continues to struggle at Ducati. Aldeguer is already contracted to the Bologna brand and won the Rookie of the Year award in 2025.
Aldeguer became the first rookie to win a race since Jorge Martin in 2021 when he took victory in Indonesia. That was one of six podium finishes across the two formats.
The Spaniard was the lowest-ranking Ducati in the championship but that was perhaps to be expected. He was only 17 points off Franco Morbidelli, who was also riding a GP24.
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Rumours in the paddock suggest Aldeguer could be promoted to the Ducati factory team for 2027, although the world champions have also been linked with more established stars like Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo.
Fermin Aldeguer is prioritising a factory bike over a factory seat for 2027
In an interview with MARCA, Aldeguer said that riding the red bike is ‘definitely a goal’ for 2027.
Ducati have given a GP26 to Alex Marquez after he finished runner-up in the championship. It was a blow for Aldeguer to see his teammate favoured, but he says there’s no guarantee it will be an upgrade on the 2025 model.
Previously, Aldeguer had set his sights on Bagnaia’s seat, but now his attitude has shifted. As long as he’s riding a factory-spec Ducati, he will be happy – no matter the colours.
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“That’s definitely a goal,” he said. “Looking ahead to next year, having or not having a factory bike is obviously a big plus.
“It always gives you an edge, it’s always beneficial, but it also has other aspects: it creates more pressure because you have the factory bike, you always have to deliver results, and then there’s the uncertainty of whether things will improve or worsen.
“The key will be having a factory bike – and I’m not just talking about being on the factory team, no, a factory bike, factory support – for 2027, which is when the regulations change and when the bikes, from the first race to the last, will evolve and change. And that’s where you have to be on that bike.”
‘You can’t keep changing a bike’ – Fermin Aldeguer on Francesco Bagnaia’s 2025 season
Given that they both race for the same manufacturer, Aldeguer was surprisingly critical of Bagnaia.
The Italian scored four podiums in the first five Grands Prix this year but only managed four more in the remaining 17 races. Rather than being satisfied with this ‘base’, he started taking ‘shots in the dark’ in an attempt to beat Marquez.
According to Aldeguer, the sheer volume of changes caused him to lose his way. Bagnaia was extremely inconsistent in the second half of the season, winning three races but crashing out five times.
“The break will be good for him to get back into shape,” Aldeguer said. “A lot of things have come together.
“It’s not a dip in form, because until he lost his composure a bit, or things got out of hand, he was having a very good season. In the first few races, he fought to be in the top three in every one, and even when someone who’s a bit better makes a mistake, winning a race means he’s at a very high level.
“What’s happened to him? Marc has consistently led everything, and he hasn’t been able to reach that level. Then, obviously, Marc being there hasn’t helped, but I think the work he’s done on himself has played a big role.
“In my opinion, he hasn’t worked in the best way with the team, with the bike, in his mindset, in his work ethic, in creating a foundation for 2025. I think he’s been taking shots in the dark. Yes, it worked out well for him in Japan, but that’s it.
“In the end, he didn’t have the tools to fight, and those of us who are there can see it. You have a base on the bike, and if it’s the real base, you go a little this way and a little that way, depending on the track, but you can’t keep changing a bike, saying things like, ‘I want the 2024, I want the 2025.’
“There’s a problem there, and the technical, electronic, telemetry… it’s the same as it was. Even as at the beginning of the year.
“It’s not like we’re talking about, ‘I started the year badly, I haven’t adapted to the bike,’ no. It started at a very good level. What happened is that you’ve been dropping off and haven’t been able to maintain the potential you had.”
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